Obama And Clinton Meet For 'Friendship' Lunch

President Obama has lunch with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on the patio outside the Oval Office on Monday.

Chuck KennedyThe White House

Talk about a power lunch.

President Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met Monday for a private lunch that immediately sparked speculation about what it means for the 2016 presidential race.

The visit marked at least the second time the two have met privately since Clinton left the State Department earlier this year. Clinton and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, met with Obama and first lady Michelle Obama for a private White House dinner in March.

There was no official agenda for the lunch; the two dined over grilled chicken, pasta jambalaya and salad simply "to catch up," said White House spokesman Josh Earnest, who noted that the president had invited Clinton.

"Secretary Clinton and the president have developed not just a strong working relationship but also a genuine friendship," Earnest said, "so it's more friendship that's on the agenda for lunch today."

Clinton is positioned as the 2016 Democratic presidential front-runner — in the event she runs — but Vice President Biden is also thought to be considering a bid. Over the next three years the president will be closely scrutinized for signs of which Democrat he will back as his successor.

While the wounds from their 2008 presidential primary may have healed — Obama and Clinton addressed their evolution from bitter rivals to collaborators in a 60 Minutesjoint interview on Jan. 27. But in the years since then, Obama and Bill Clinton have sometimes found themselves on opposing sides in Democratic primary races where Clinton endorsed candidates who backed his wife's presidential bid.